Improvement in felting-machines for making felted and napped fabrics



-to the pulley b.

UNITEn-1aSpr-Es PATENT EEIoE.I

GEORGE E. `EIELD, OE sr. LOUIs, MISSOURI, AssIeNOR To WOOLEN RARI-:Io f COMPANY, (LIMITED,) or NEW `I'ORK, Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FELTlNG-MACHINES FOR MAKENGFELTED ANDvNAPPED FABRlCS.

specimen@ forming' pm er Lenemratenr No. 262,252, dated Api-n o, 157s; .Mutation mea February 21, 1578;

To all 'whom-it may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE B. FIELD, of StrLouis, in the State of'.Missouri, have invented an improvement in Felting-.Machines for Making Felted and Napped Fabrics, of which the following is a specification:

Machines have been made in which gangs of barbedneedles are reciproeated into and out of a bat or sheet of brous material for felting the same by a mechanical interlacing of the fibers, such as in'Letters Patent Nos.

123,136 and 173,704.

My improvements are made for the purpose of equalizing the action ot' the halting-needles, and for balancing the machine in such a manner that great-speed can be obtained without undue wear or risk of injury.

In the drawings, Figure l isa vertical vsection longitudinally of-the machine. Fig. 2 is a plan, partially in section.

The frame cis of a size and shape adapted to the other parts of the machine: The upper portions a of the frames are provided with bearings that support the main driving-shaftl l), that is' propelled by suitable power applied Upon the shaft bis an eccentric, c, within a square box having inward iiangcs, as seen in Fig. 3, to retain the lubricating material, and'this eccentric and box are within the slotted arm o of the rocker-shaft followers j", so'as to reciprocate such followers rapidly, and these followers are guided by the vertical portions 2 2 of the frame a, andthey are tree to move up and down, and end wise also, in their guides 2 These followers contain the gangs or rows of felting-needles, and

. being of nearly the same weight bala-nee each other,.and the inertiaof one of the followers in which the needles are being drawn out Ol' 'the bats of fiber aids .in driving the needles ot' the other follower into the bats of liber, and the weight and forces being balanced there is ui economy in the power employed.

l have shown four followers, each with its rows or gangs of needles. Two followersaet l belowr the fabric or bat andtwo above. These might all act upon one sheet passing through the machine, or upon several sheets of materials brought together to form one bat. I have, however, shown the machine as adapted to two separate bats or sheets passing through l o the machine, as hereinafter set forth.

There is an endless screw, 3, at the end of y' l the shaft b that turns the wheel h and shaft h1 continuously, and upon this shaft h there is a cross-arms e and followers f also are moved.

By this =il movement of the shaft and the Afollowers containing;` the felting-needles, the.

perforations and interlacings of the bers in the bat or sheet that is operated upon are not in straight lines; but they are undulating in consequence of such end movement, so as to make a more thorough felting operation.

The respective sheets or bats or'layers of ber to be felted, of whatever nature they may be, pass through between the bed-plates l and guard-plates n, that 'are placed in pairs between the followers, and they are at a suitable distance apart to allow the layers of ber to pass between them.. The bed-plates l are rigidly aixed to the frames a, so as to withstand the thrust of the needles; and the guard-plates n are adjustable by slots and screws 6 6, so as to vary their distance from the bed'for different thicknesses Of material.

As before mentioned, the needles are in rows, but the rows are sect-ional, the needles of one section being opposite and overlapping the blank space between the needles of the next row. yThese needles may be barbed or simply blunt pins, according to the work to be performed. The platesl n are Aslotted in the proper places to accommodate the needle-sections, but the slots are longer than the sections, to allow for the end movement before named ofthe followers with their needles.

The fabrics, as drawn along between the reoperation by the lines of needles of both foly lowers, so that the operation is performed with i grt-at thoroughness and perfection.

By connecting the needles to an auxiliary follower, a', and employing rubber or other springs between the same and the follower f, and screws or bolts, the positions of thc points of the needles to the fabric can be varied by adjusting such auxiliary followers` nearer to or farther from the followersf.

The supply-rollers o o may have a friction applied t-o them to produce sutticient tension on the bat or sheet to draw it straig11t,and the take-up rollers r r are preferably corrugated lengthwise, in order that the fabric may be firmly grasped and moved along. The take-up requires to be very positive, for avoiding inequality in the movement of the sheet, and consequently in the felting operation.

Thefeed movement is effected by a screwpinion, 9, upon the shaft h', and a geamvheel,

10, upon the lower roller r, and from the shaft of this rollerimotion is communicated to the supply-rollers o by means of pulleys and a belt, 11.

The supplymollers should revolve at the same speed, or nearly so, as the take-up r'ollers, and the central supply-roller may be corrugated, to aid in feeding the bats into the machine.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, in the felting-machine, of the rock-shaft d, double arms c, followers f, with fel tin g'needles, and the slottedbed-plates l, substantially as set forth.

2. The slotted bed-plates l, guard-plates n., followers f, double arms e, and vrock-shaft d, in combination with mechanism, substantially as set forth, for giving a progressive en d movement to the rock-shaft and followers, substantially as set forth.

3. lhe combination of the two followers f with the bed-plates l, guard-plates u, and mechanism for actuating the followers, whereby the feltingneedles are made to operate in succession upononc sheet of fabric passing between the two pairs of bed and guard plates, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the followers. needles, bed-plates, and guard-plates, of the feedingrollers r and screw-pinion 9, for actuating the same and moving the material, substantially as set forth. l

5. In combination with Ythe reciprocating followers und felting-needles in gangs or interrupted rows, the bed-plate l and guardplates n, provided with slots, forthe purposes set forth.

6. The two pairs of followers, each provided with felting-ncedles, in combination with the rock-shaft d, actuating'levers e, bed-plaies l, and guard-plates n, the parts being arranged and acting substantially as set fort-h.

Signed by me this 28th day of January, A.

GEORGE B. FIELD. Wi tn csses:

JAMES A. CLARY, J. T. PERGY. 

